Just Listed: Midcentury Modern Trinity in Wash West

417 S. Iseminger St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147 | Bright MLS images via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors

The agent marketing this handsome house for sale on one of those charming “little streets” in Washington Square West bills this house as a midcentury modern house for sale.

Which it is, design-wise. But there’s something more to this architecturally distinctive house. Besides being housed in a classic 1829 frame, it displays an approach to the efficient use of space that borders on the Japanese.

We can’t call this a true Japanese house, for there are no tatami mats or rice-paper screens to be found in it. But the way its rooms are designed to get the most out of small spaces seems well suited for that densely populated island chain. Or, for that matter, for a densely built block of compact houses in one of the city’s most beloved neighborhoods.

Murphy bed in living room

Dining room

Let’s start with the main floor, a warm, wood-ceilinged open space that combines a living room, a dining room and a guest bedroom.

Where’s the guest bedroom, you ask? Tucked into a cabinet next to the front window. Just pull the Murphy bed down to cover the light well and your visiting friends are set for the night.

Kitchen

They might even raid your refrigerator for late-night snacks in the kitchen downstairs. This space has been recently brought up to date with plenty of cabinet space, new stainless steel appliances and butcher-block countertops.

Second floor bedroom

The kitchen also has a beamed ceiling. So do the two bedrooms upstairs.

Third-floor bedroom

The skylit third-floor bedroom also has a Murphy bed that lets you use it for other purposes, like a home office. And each bedroom has a bathroom adjacent: a full bath on the second, a half bath on the third.

The third-floor bedroom also has a roof deck where you can soak up the sun. The rear courtyard off the dining room also gets plenty of sun, which also pours through the French doors into the dining room.

400 block South Iseminger Street

Those “little streets” offer plenty of charm, plenty of calm and a sense of intimacy and privacy. This one is no exception. And it’s also surrounded by a slew of great restaurants, unique shops and funky bars, including the legendary dive bar Dirty Frank’s. The Kimmel Center and the Avenue of the Arts are also a block and a half away.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 2

BATHS: 1 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 947

SALE PRICE: $435,000

OTHER STUFF: If you intend to make this place your own residence, you will have to wait a few months to move in. A tenant occupies it until May 31. Or you could buy it as an investment and continue to rent it out.

417 S. Iseminger St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19147 [Joan Mozenter | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]